Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2007 4:52 pmPosts: 127Location: Western New York State

Almost every American knows that Thomas Jefferson was the principal
author of the Declaration of Independence, which effectively gave
birth to the United States of America.

But what Homeland Fascist was a principal author of
the Patriot Act, which effectively polished off the Great Experiment
in ordered liberty?

Correctamundo! It's Gut-Check Chertoff.

Only 8 days after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Chertoff and
Assistant Attorney General Viet D. Dinh had the 342-page Patriot Act
written, printed, bound, and sitting on the desk of every member of
Congress. From these facts alone, dear Watson, we can reasonably
deduce several standard deductions, depending on your state's tax
code:

1. Michael Chertoff can sho' nuff type fast.
2. There's gotta be a 24-hour Kinko's in the basement of the
Capital.
3. If you mail the anthrax about two days before introducing your
342-page legislation with lots of boring stuff on pages 9-11, NOBODY's
gonna get to the part where you eradicate a nation's cherished
liberties, and NOBODY's going to notice how much you plagiarized from
the Reichstag Fire Decree.

(Bonus points: "USA PATRIOT Act" is an acronym. What's the full name
of the law? The answer's at the end of this post...)

_________________All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. Arthur Schopenhauer
German philosopher (1788 - 1860)

Yes, it's an acronym for the formal title of the Act: "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001.""

Quote:

The USA PATRIOT Act was passed by the U.S. Congress in response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01. The Act contains provisions on diverse topics such as: money laundering and bank reporting, domestic surveillance procedures, entry-exit procedures and immigration provisions, foreign student monitoring programs, information sharing between federal and local/state law enforcement and within agencies of the federal government, and definitions of new crimes involving terrorism and terrorist organizations.

After passage of the USA PATRIOT Act, the Bush Administration has issued numerous other orders enhancing its powers to wage the "war on terrorism," with disregard for legislative or judicial oversight.

Why should I care about the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act and other Administration actions impacting civil liberties?

The Bush Administration claims that the erosion of civil liberties post-9/11 is necessary to advance the "war on terrorism." However, Congress has not issued a declaration of war. The Administration has not defined an identifiable enemy, has not named an enemy-state, and has not given the American public a benchmark to determine when the "war" has ended. Under this rubric, the Administration's encroachments on civil liberties can be continued forever.

Some citizens argue, "If I'm not doing anything wrong, then I don't have anything to worry about." But, who decides what conduct is "wrong?" In anti-terror legislation and Executive Orders, the Administration has the capacity to decide what conduct is "wrong," without Congressional oversight, without public input, and without judicial review. Under this structure, Americans have no assurance that the exercise of free speech or political dissent will not become prohibited conduct.

Draconian detention sweeps and reporting measures imposed on immigrants to our country from the Middle East and South Asia are reminiscent of the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II and black-listing during the McCarthy era. Our nation is repeating the shameful errors from our past. We must act now so that we don't look back on this, the post-9/11 era, with shame as well.

The trade-off between civil liberties and security is a false choice. The exercise of civil liberties does not increase the likelihood of terrorist acts. Likewise, the curtailment of civil liberties does not increase public safety.